PAVS hosts inaugural Pembrokeshire Safeguarding Conference
On Wednesday 24th June 2026, over 50 people from across Pembrokeshire came together in the Queens Hall in Narberth for the inaugural Pembrokeshire Safeguarding Conference, hosted by Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services. Supported by funding from the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), the event set out to inform, educate and provide opportunities to share best practice for those involved in activities supporting children, young people and adults across the county.
Opening the conference, Mel Laidler, Head of Adult Services at Pembrokeshire County Council remarked, “It is encouraging to see so many people coming together today to share and learn more about safeguarding. As many of you will know, effective and impactful safeguarding begins with education and prevention, empowering people to have control over their lives and the choices they make, to enable them to live well and safely”. She went on to say, “For me in my role, today is a great opportunity to be hearing from people on the front line, to gain a refreshed and renewed insight into the challenges and needs of those dealing with people every day, and to hear feedback on how we can continue to improve the services we are offering”.
Echoing her words on how safeguarding practices and legislation continues to evolve, Susan Mollison, Safeguarding Manager at the WCVA, brought delegates up to date with recent changes to elements of the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act, and anticipated updates to the Safeguarding Code of Practice. She reminded everyone of the Wales Safeguarding Procedures app – a handy, ‘in your pocket’ guide and resource that is always up to date.
A key question often asked by professionals across all sectors is “How do we make a referral?”. On hand to answer this and provide advice on ensuring the right information is provided were Clare Wyatt, Adult Safeguarding Manager and Sara Moraity from the Adult Safeguarding Team at Pembrokeshire County Council. Their presentation gave delegates an insight into what happens once a safeguarding referral is made, and the support and advice the team can offer if someone isn’t sure what to do about a situation or set of circumstances.
The morning session concluded with a presentation from Catherine Evans, Data Analytics Officer at Carmarthenshire County Council. Her session demonstrated how technology is being utilised to ensure timely and appropriate information sharing between different organisations and agencies, enabling teams to better support individuals at risk of abuse or harm. She also explained how Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire County Councils are working together to use other digital tools to support their social workers reduce time spent on paperwork and give them more time to work with service users effectively.
Owain Rowlands, Regional Outreach Advisor from the Disclosure and Barring Service opened the afternoon sessions with a thorough run through of the key requirements for different levels of Disclosure checks as part of a session looking at Safer Recruitment and Employment. He also reminded delegates to ensure they are not breaching GDPR by requesting checks they are not entitled to.
In a change of pace, the PAVS Safeguarding Team took the reins for the next session, asking delegates to share thoughts around questions like “What worries you about safeguarding in your organisation?” and “What would help you overcome these challenges?”. Representatives from PAVS and Pembrokeshire County Council were on hand to respond further and share updates regarding upcoming training courses.
The final session of the day looked at the risks arising within the cyber and online world, and how fraud can also be prevalent here. Allan Rush, Cyber Protect Officer and Rebecca Williams, Fraud Safeguarding Officer from Dyfed Powys Police provided delegates with a thought provoking and detailed presentation on a wide range of digitally focused activity, explaining how criminals are increasingly combining their online activities with offline approaches as well.
Bringing the day to a close, Maudie Hughes, Business Operations Manager at PAVS, expressed thanks to the PAVS Third Sector Support Team for organising and hosting the event, to the speakers for their informative presentations and most importantly to the delegates for their engagement and contribution throughout the day. Reminding everyone once again that safeguarding is everybody’s business, she also asked delegates to continue in the great work that they do every day, supporting people in Pembrokeshire to live well.
